Ludwig - Maximilians - Universität München
Institut für Englische Philologie
Hauptseminar: Empirical Linguistics: Deceptive Discourse

Deceptive Discourse in Advertising

by: Stephanie Helmer

TABLE OF CONTENT

1 Introduction page 3

2 Part I: Decoding Advertisements page 4

2.1 The semiotic structure of a product page 4
2.2 Visual images and Intertextuality page 6
2.3 Perception of deception page 6
2.4 Semiotics used in advertising images page 8
2.5 Effects on viewers page 10

2.6 Advertisement structure page 11

2.6.1 The outer and inner textual frame page 11
2.6.2 Analysis of outer & inner textual frame in e-sixt advertisements page 12
2.6.3 The pragmatic advertisement frame page 15
2.6.4 Masked advertisements page 15

2.7 Rhetorical figures in advertising page 16

3. Summary page 19

4. Bibliography page 20

1 Introduction

The Art of War, written more than 2000 years ago by Sun Tzu, a Chinese general, is arguably still the most important work on the subject of strategy today. Although it was originally written for the military elite of Sun Tzu’s time period, this treatise has been absorbed also by others of influence - from the fearless samurai in feudal Japan to the shrewd business leaders of the 21st century. Especially in marketing competition, The Art of War has become one of the most popular business books, as the principles are timeless and true, the words pragmatic and universally applicable to any situation that requires absolute victory - like in the field of product marketing and advertising.

Hence, the perception prevails that marketing is warfare. However, what are the arms used to wage this war? The answer can be found turning to Sun Tzu (The Art of War, 800 B.C.) again, he says: “Warfare is one thing. It is a philosophy of deception”

This suggests that in marketing, as well as in warfare, deception is widely accepted as a legitimate tool to evoke desired reactions. However, as Sun Tzu’s stratagem would be politically incorrect in marketing issues, the term deception has been refined in sales talk and the concept is now generally referred to as ‘controlling the market’s perceptions’.

As print and television advertising is the mainstay in sales strategy, the paper in hand detects the persuasive elements and deceptive techniques which are presently used to achieve ultimate market control.

While the first part of this paper aims at exploring deceptive techniques through a mostly semiotic frame, focusing on automobile advertisements present in Germany in 2001 and 2002, the second part of this paper examines the role of psychological components in television advertising.

2 Part I: Decoding Advertisements

2.1 The semiotic structure of a product

Adverts have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. Due to the large scale production of goods there is an increased need to create a market for products that people do not really need. Furthermore, there are so many similar products and so many competing brands that advertisers cannot rely merely on rational arguments to sell their goods. The answer to this problem is to differentiate products not only from a technological but also from a non-technological perspective. In order to achieve this, marketers investigate the semiotic structure of a product, only then can they meet the unconscious physical and psychological consumer needs. Following Ferdinand de Saussure’s model, Greimas and Courtés (1982:299-301), developed their own semiotic paradigm, according to which every product consists of a signifier and a signified.

The signifier contains concrete components, like material, technology, design, color or brand name to satisfy consumers’ rational needs, while the signified satisfies physical and psychological needs and gives a product its denotative and connotative meaning. In this content, the term denotative describes the functional meaning of a product, while the term connotative contains the non-material, imagistic meaning assigned to a product.

In example 1, the above-mentioned theory is illustrated. Four different advertisements for the smart, an automobile brand of DaimlerChrylser, have been analyzed under the aspect of the semiotic structure. The signifier is made up of the general idea given in the pictures: the smart is a small, mobile car, designed single-mindedly for two people, with an unmistakable design and a big volumetric capacity.

example 1 – smart [Illustration only in downloadfile]

The signified, i.e., the denotative meaning is presumably: efficient, roomy, functional car for which parking space can be found anywhere; thus, the smart meets the standard physical needs for a means of transport. The psychological component, contained in the connotative meaning and conveyed in the pictures, can be described as: driving the smart is fun, it places you in the limelight, gives you a spirited appearance, and distinguishes you from the average.

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